


Not the End

by cordeliadelayne



Category: Primeval
Genre: Forced to have a conversation, Getting Together, M/M, Trapped, realise they've both been idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-15 21:48:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7239811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliadelayne/pseuds/cordeliadelayne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan and Stephen find themselves in need of rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not the End

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lukadreaming](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=lukadreaming).



> Written as a Christmas present for the lovely lukadreaming who gave the prompt “up to his neck in it”.
> 
> Originally posted to Livejournal in 2014.

“There once was a man from Nantucket,  
Whose cock got stuck in a bucket,  
He pulled and he pushed,  
He swore and he fussed,  
Then shrugged and decided to fuck it.”

“That...was absolutely terrible,” Stephen said.

“I have others,” Ryan replied.

“I don't doubt it.”

They grinned at each other, and then went back to surveying their surroundings. Still no sign of wildlife. But no sign of their team either.

“It's not your fault,” Stephen called over to Ryan. “It isn't.”

“It's my job to keep you safe. And I've done a piss poor job of it ever since I joined the ARC.”

“Hey, no, none of that,” Stephen snapped. He wished, not for the first time, that he could just reach over and touch Ryan, but that just wasn't possible. “You have saved our lives countless times. All of us. People die.” He took in a deep gulp of air. “You can't save everyone.”

“It'll be night soon,” Ryan said.

Stephen recognised it for the change of subject that it was and decided not to push. If they did die today, he didn't want an argument to be his last memory of Ryan. In fact, there was a lot of other memories he'd like to make, if only he could summon up the courage to voice his feelings.

It wasn't as if he was worried about Ryan being gay – he'd casually mentioned an ex-boyfriend a few months ago – but Stephen hadn't exactly got around to mentioning he was bisexual; what with Abby and Helen, assuming that his default was straight wasn't exactly unexpected.

“I suppose I-Spy is out of the question?” Stephen asked after a moment.

Ryan mock glared at him. “All right. I spy something with my little eye beginning with `m'.”

“Mud.”

“Bingo,” Ryan replied. “So that killed what, 20 seconds?”

Stephen tried to remember that it was the situation Ryan was mad at, not him, but that was getting increasingly hard.

“Sorry,” Ryan muttered. “I'm just...”

“I know,” Stephen said. He wished he could move towards Ryan, but that would cause even more problems. He did chance a glance at his watch though and fought hard to keep the worry he felt from showing on his face.

They'd been exploring the landscape through an anomaly for an hour, trying to agree what era they had found themselves in, when the accident had happened. Some sort of creature with wings and a vicious beak – Stephen had been looking in the other direction, so only had Connor's garbled description to go on – launched itself out of the under brush, right at Captain Ryan. He'd tried to keep his balance but ended up falling and rolling down a small embankment. Stephen had hurried after him only to find his legs slipping into a deep pool of mud. He’d managed to slow his momentum enough that only his legs had been trapped, and though he couldn't move them, he could sit fairly comfortably on the edge of the pool. Ryan hadn't been so lucky.

It all had happened so fast and Stephen was sorry to say that he'd been more worried about his own fate at the time, than Ryan's. So he wasn't even looking when Ryan tried to get upright, only to sink into the muddy pool up to his neck. It was only by some sort of miracle that he hadn't drowned already; even the tiniest of movements had him sinking further down. Stephen suspected an air pocket was involved, but he couldn’t see the point in bringing that up.

Connor and Cutter had gone back for help, leaving one soldier to guard the anomaly and another, Sgt. Goulding, to guard them.

They hadn't seen Goulding for the past ten minutes.

“They'll be back by now. Getting all the gear together they need.”

Ryan didn't answer. Stephen hadn't really expected him to.

“How about we talk about firsts?” Stephen asked, deciding now was as good a moment as any to take the plunge. “First kiss, first time, first pint...?” Stephen trailed off.

“Sally Adams, when I was five. Michael Haworth when I was fifteen. With my Dad when I was fourteen.”

Stephen smiled. “Short and to the point.”

“Pretend I just shrugged,” Ryan replied. “Anyway, your turn.”

“Okay.” Stephen took a deep breath. “Caroline Mitchell when I was eight. James Chester when I was 17. Helen Cutter when I was 23. With some mates when I was 16.”

Stephen looked everywhere but at Ryan.

“I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to be shocked, or outraged.”

Stephen blinked in surprise. That wasn't quite the reaction he'd been hoping for.

“The next time I see Helen Cutter, I'm feeding her to a bloody raptor.”

“I wanted...”

“Don't make me come over there and shake some sense in to you. She took advantage.” Ryan made a face at the sky. “Feelings aren't my bag but, I'm guessing she's the only woman you've ever been with?”

Stephen nodded. “I was never that interested before then. I do like women though. I've been on dates, and kissed other girls. But somehow, they never compared to Helen.”

“And you were in love with her husband,” Ryan said.

“What? No! I'm not in love with Nick.” He stared incredulously across the pool at Ryan. “Is that why you -?” He suddenly stopped speaking. There _had_ been moments when he thought Ryan was interested, but he'd never done anything about it. He'd assumed Ryan hadn't been sure whether his interest was going to be welcomed; it had never occurred to Stephen that Ryan thought he was in love with someone else. And Nick Cutter at that.

“But you - you practically finish each other's sentences.”

“We've known each other for a very long time.”

Stephen had never seen Ryan look so perplexed, or so relieved.

“Dinner, when we get out then?” Ryan asked.

Stephen had never been so glad to put a smile on someone’s face.

“You're buying.”

Ryan laughed. Then cursed as his involuntary movement had him slipping further down, until the mud was just over his chin. Stephen’s eyes opened in alarm and he tugged at his own legs again, but to no avail. They were both well and truly trapped.

“Where the hell is everybody?” Stephen muttered. Ryan didn't have much longer.

Suddenly, a shout from behind them caused Stephen to twist about. Sgt. Goulding was rushing towards them, followed by more soldiers with ropes over their shoulders.

“Quick! Quick!” Stephen shouted, pushing away the men who went to help him, trying to get them to focus on Ryan instead.

They weren't having any of that though, and Stephen was distracted from watching their progress with Ryan, by men and women who were determined to get him free despite himself.

“Don't make me sedate you,” the new medic, Andrea, said, and Stephen knew better than to argue with her. Instead he did everything he could to get out quickly, desperate to make sure Ryan was okay.

“He's fine, he's out,” Andrea told him. “Just calm down.”

Stephen didn't relax though, not until he saw with his own eyes that Ryan was fine. He felt even better when Ryan started berating a stammering Goulding for deserting his post.

And if they happened to be brought home through the anomaly on stretchers and holding hands, well, everyone just pretended not to notice.


End file.
